Serpenti

by Brooke Sivendra

  Abi looked between James Thomas and Asher and noted a shift between them. She supposed James Thomas’s reputation had a lot to do with it, but Asher seemed to genuinely respect and appreciate his advice, and that respect didn’t seem one-sided.

  They drove in silence to the burial grounds, and when they arrived Abi had to say Asher’s name twice before he opened his eyes. Asher hadn’t been sleeping well but she thought the emotional toll the day was taking on him was more likely the reason he’d fallen asleep. He awoke, rubbed his eyes, and then seemed to take a moment to collect himself. When security opened his door, King Asher stepped out.

  Security opened Abi’s door, but here, in the privacy of the family, Abi didn’t need—or want—to make a statement with Asher. This service was for Asher and his mother. Abi hung back in the shadows as the priest said a final prayer, then laid flowers on the casket before King Martin was lowered into the ground. Abi placed a flower too, silently farewelling the late King and thanking him for his life of service.

  She returned to the car, giving Asher and Emilia a moment alone. Her eyes welled with tears as she saw Emilia lean on the casket, her body shaking as she sobbed. Asher put one hand around her shoulders and held her. He was strong even when he didn’t know how to be.

  Abi looked away, feeling like she was invading their privacy.

  James Thomas came to stand beside her.

  “How did you feel during the service?” he asked casually.

  “What do you mean?” Abi asked.

  “How did being so close to the Adani royals make you feel? They were looking at you, but their expressions were impassive. It’s hard to know what they were thinking,” he said, seeming to search her eyes for answers.

  Abi shrugged. “Honestly, I felt like everyone was staring at me, and I was trying not to focus on anyone in particular. I was aware of where they were seated and I deliberately didn’t look in their direction. I didn’t think King Martin’s funeral was the place to make a scene. Asher had enough to deal with without worrying about me.”

  James nodded. “Lamberi was seen in Santina this morning, Abi. I sent a team out, but by the time they arrived, he was gone. He’s keeping a low profile, and we’re still trying to work out how he entered Santina, but someone with official clearance had to have let him in. More so now than ever, you need to listen and do everything we tell you.”

  Abi raised an eyebrow. “As I have been doing for the past week. I haven’t left the palace.”

  “I have a weapon for you—I know you can shoot—and I want you to carry it at all times, even inside the palace. The palace is safe, but recent events have taught me that no building is impenetrable. It’s a worst-case scenario, but it’s a precaution I think we need to take. Extra security precautions have been set up at the palace, and I’m honestly not expecting trouble, but it would be foolish for our team not to consider it and have plans in place.”

  Abi frowned. “Does Asher know this?” She was surprised he hadn’t said anything.

  “He’ll be briefed when we return. He had enough to deal with this morning, and I didn’t want to add any unnecessary pressure,” James said, his eyes returning to Asher.

  “Did you see the face of the Adani royals when Asher was giving his speech?” Abi asked.

  The corner of James’s lips turned up.

  “I didn’t, but my team was watching. The Adani royals got the message,” he said, sounding amused.

  Asher strode toward them with his mother by his side. Emilia’s gaze was cast down as she walked and Abi thought she’d appreciate a few moments alone with her son.

  “Emilia, why don’t you ride with Asher? I’ll go with Jesse and Reed,” Abi offered. She looked to James Thomas for approval. He paused, seeming to consider it, and then nodded and began escorting everyone into cars.

  In the back of the sedan, Abi stretched out her legs and closed her eyes, but as soon as Lamberi’s face flashed in her mind, she opened them, suddenly no longer tired.

  She focused on the road ahead, grateful for a few minutes of silence. Jesse drove and Reed sat in the passenger seat. She studied him for a moment and paused when she saw what looked to be a bruise underneath his chin. She leaned forward.

  “Yes?” he asked, eyeing her cautiously like she might attack him. Reed was a little high strung, something she’d thought the first time she’d met him.

  “Why is your jaw bruised? It looks fresh,” Abi remarked.

  Reed raised a lazy eyebrow. “One of my guys caught my chin during a practice session.”

  “Huh,” Abi said, but she wasn’t sure she believed him. There was an underlying hint of something in his voice. Excitement? If it was, his tone didn’t match his explanation.

  Reed turned back to her. “How’s your ankle? You hardly limped today.”

  “I’m dosed up on painkillers,” Abi said, like it was a joke, but it was actually the truth. “I’m sure it’s going to ache tonight, but it is much better. Hopefully another week of rest and I might start training with you. I want to learn how to throw a punch that leaves a bruise like that.”

  Reed chuckled. “God help the king.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Abi asked.

  Reed smiled. “I meant it as a compliment, Abi.” He didn’t elaborate, and Abi let it go. She noticed Jesse hadn’t said a word. His eyes were on the road.

  She looked ahead and the light changed from red to green in perfect timing, such that Jesse didn’t need to slow down—but then it happened again at the next light, and then the next.

  “Good run with the lights,” Abi noted.

  Reed smirked. “The traffic fairies are on our side today.”

  But his smirk quickly faltered and Abi knew something had been communicated via the men’s earpieces because their body language shifted in an instant.

  “Copy,” they said in unison, and Jesse pulled a hard left like it was a turn he hadn’t been expecting to make. The car sped up and Abi held on to the armrest for support.

  “Get down!” Reed shouted, a few moments before the back window shattered. Glass showered over Abi as she put her hands over her head for protection. Her head was on her knees and she didn’t dare look up.

  Her heart hammered against her chest and she felt like she was going to be sick. The car swerved again and shots were fired from their car—she assumed it was Reed, but she didn’t dare look.

  Do everything we tell you. James Thomas’s words rang in her ear, and she kept her head down.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Reed screamed as more shots were fired and another window was smashed. Abi didn’t know if it was a side window or the front window now. How many people were firing at them? Were they being ambushed?

  Was this how King Martin had felt before he died?

  She shook her head, refusing to go there. There was a different security team in place—the best in the world—and they would handle it.

  She heard a barrage of gunfire so loud it sounded like a thunderstorm.

  “Stay down!” Reed shouted and Abi nodded when nothing came out of her throat. Fear had stolen her voice, and unlike when she was taken from her car and captured, this time she didn’t know the procedure and what to expect, and that left her unprepared and asphyxiated with fear.

  The car swerved so violently Abi fell to the side, banging her head on the door. A hand reached out, grabbing her—cushioning the fall.

  More shots fired, coming from their car.

  “Go!” Reed said, his voice slightly less urgent.

  Abi stayed huddled down, counting the seconds so that she had some sense of time.

  Where were they?

  How long had they been under attack?

  She’d never felt more useless in her life.

  “Abi?” Reed asked. “Look at me. It’s okay now.”

  She raised her head, her eyes landing on his bleeding arm. The front windshield was shattered, and in fact almost every window in the car was shattered except the one to her right. Abi was
surprised she hadn’t broken it with her head.

  “What happened?” she asked, her voice raw.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, looking over her as if searching for injuries.

  “I think so,” she said vaguely, sitting up. She twisted, looking behind her. She saw two more cars that looked like replicas of the one she was in.

  “An attempted ambush,” Reed said, not sugarcoating it. “This time we were more prepared.” He placed a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Nice driving, Jesse.”

  Jesse nodded. “You okay, Abi?”

  “Yeah,” she said, able to breathe again. Her heart was no longer like a marching band in her chest, and she could think again.

  “Where’s Asher’s car?” Abi suddenly asked, panicked.

  “They’re ahead of us,” Reed said. “He’s fine.”

  Abi exhaled in relief, noting her shaking hands. She looked to them, as did Reed.

  “You’re in shock,” he said. “We’ll be at the palace in a few minutes.”

  “I left the cathedral in Asher’s car,” Abi said, trying to make sense of it all—no one should’ve known she’d switched cars.

  “You might not have been the target,” Reed said.

  Asher

  Asher paced the garage, waiting for Abi’s car to arrive. He didn’t know whether to be livid with Thomas Security that the attack had even happened, or grateful that they’d been able to protect Abi. It had been a very different outcome than the ambush on his father’s car.

  When the garage door opened and he saw the car dented with bullet holes and barely a shard of glass left in its windows, his stomach churned violently. He rushed toward the car at the same time James Thomas did.

  “Abi,” Asher said, opening the door.

  “Careful,” James said, stepping in and helping Abi out.

  “I’m okay,” she said quickly, but the usual confidence in her voice was missing.

  Asher pulled her into his arms and kissed the crown of her head. He held her tight because he was very aware the circumstances could’ve been very different.

  Reed spoke quietly to James and Jesse, and they all seemed in agreement with whatever was being said. Asher wanted to know exactly what that was.

  James noticed him watching them and walked over. “Let’s get Abi inside and I’ll brief you both.”

  They walked to Asher’s office, and he noticed Abi was trembling slightly. “Take a seat,” Asher said and went to the fridge to get her something to drink. He found some juice and sat beside her, holding her hand. He squeezed it tight, not knowing how he would’ve coped if something had happened to her.

  James dragged a chair over and sat opposite. “Samuel is working on the footage now, so we’ll have more information in a few hours, but essentially, this is what happened. Our car,” he said, looking at Asher, “was a few minutes ahead. The first shot was fired at Abi’s car as they turned onto Embassy Road. We had the maps planned out and I had snipers positioned on rooftops along every road we were mapped to take,” James said, and Asher paused, impressed.

  “The snipers took out the first car, but two more came from behind. Reed took out the driver of one of those cars and another sniper hit the other. There were three cars involved in the attack and five men in each car. We have a few of them in custody—the others were killed on site.”

  “How many men attacked my father’s car?” Asher asked.

  “Fifteen, three cars,” James said, knowingly. “You and Abi left the cathedral together, so unless someone was able to witness the change of cars at the burial site—which would be extremely unlikely—Abi wasn’t the target. Your mother was.”

  Asher sucked in a sharp breath. “Why?”

  “She may be Queen Mother, but she still has influence over this kingdom. There’s also the fact that your mother said she felt like she should remember something, but she can’t. I think something was said, or maybe she recognized someone, and that person is attempting to tie up a loose end in case she does remember,” James said.

  “But no one knows my mother said that,” Asher said, his mind reeling.

  “But if she saw something, and they know it, they might just think it’s a matter of time,” James said. “Or maybe they do know because someone has leaked the fact that her memory is vague. We don’t know for sure either way, and it’s possible whoever is behind the attack didn’t care if it was you, Abi, or your mother in the car. You’re all targets.”

  “What happens now?” Asher asked, aware his voice was rising. He couldn’t lose Abi or his mother. He couldn’t.

  “We interrogate the men and find out who sent them, and then we’ll launch an attack. I know you don’t want to hear this, but Abi’s car being attacked and everyone surviving—including a few captives—was one of the best things that could’ve happened to this investigation. I’m not glad it happened, and I know it’s traumatic for you and Abi, but it will open leads that might’ve otherwise taken months to develop.”

  Abi nodded, seeming to understand, but Asher didn’t want to hear it.

  “Make them talk,” Asher commanded. “I want to know who was behind this attack.”

  A menacing grin formed on James’s lips. “Making men talk is my specialty.”

  The look in his eyes was chilling, and it almost gave Asher the chills—almost.

  His office phone rang, startling him.

  “King Asher speaking,” he answered.

  “Your Majesty, this is King Khalil.”

  Asher raised an eyebrow. He had been expecting contact from the Adani royals, but not this quickly. He looked to James Thomas, who nodded. Asher frowned, wondering how he knew who was on the other line and then he realized his phone was monitored and likely someone had communicated via his earpiece.

  “How can I help you, Your Majesty?” Asher asked, keeping his voice neutral.

  “Your speech was quite a performance,” King Khalil said. “And it seemed to be aimed at us. I don’t appreciate false accusations being made, and certainly not voiced in such a public way. You forgot not to bite the hand that feeds you, King Asher. Adani has withdrawn all its aid,” he said, sounding smug, which only infuriated Asher further.

  “My speech was not a performance,” he hissed, “and if you think you can dictate to me because you provide aid to Santina—you’re very wrong. Yesterday I asked the bank to return your most recent aid payment. Santina will thrive without Adani’s involvement,” Asher finished bitterly.

  He was met with only silence.

  Abi

  Where Was Prince Alistair?

  Will Abigail Bennett Be Santina’s Next Queen?

  What Is King Asher’s Next Move?

  Abi scanned the newspaper articles as she sipped her coffee. Santina was rife with gossip this morning, as they’d all expected—and there would be even more when Santinians found out Asher had returned Adani’s aid and refused to accept any further payments. She wondered what spin the Adani royals would put on that; she’d only heard Asher’s end of the conversation, but she could tell it had been a terse conversation. He’d stayed in his office late and was gone from bed before she’d awoken. The only sign he’d slept a few hours was the crinkled sheets where he must’ve lain. She thought she vaguely remembered him drawing her into his arms, but she wasn’t sure if that had been a dream.

  “Good morning,” his low voice said from behind her.

  Asher wrapped his arms around her as he leaned over her shoulder. “What are you reading?”

  “Gossip,” she said, tilting her head back, finding his lips.

  “I thought you said my father was torturing himself for reading the papers every morning, and now look at you,” he said, searching her eyes, but she wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

  “Maybe I was wrong about that. It’s important to know what the people are thinking, even if you don’t agree with it. How else do you respond and connect with them?” Abi asked, as much to herself as to Asher.

  He pulled out the chair be
side her. “How are you feeling after yesterday? It was a long day, and a frightening one.”

  “Thomas Security handled it, and if anything, now I have even more confidence in them.” She paused for a moment. “What do you think of Reed?”

  “He seems competent, that’s for sure,” Asher said thoughtfully. “Honestly, though, I haven’t dealt with him that much yet. My communication is mostly with James. Why do you ask? What do you think of him?” Asher asked, seeming genuinely interested.

  “He’s . . . interesting,” Abi said slowly. “At times he seems a little high strung, but during the car attack he was as cool as a cucumber.”

  Asher smiled. “I think it takes a certain person to work security—you need people who perform best under pressure.”

  “It takes a certain person to be king too. I know this is never the role you wanted, Asher. But you’re doing Santina proud. I’m proud of you,” she said, looking deep into his eyes.

  He cupped her cheek and brushed his lips over hers. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice deep and gruff. “I want to make Santina proud, my father proud. I want you to be proud—and proud to stand beside me.”

  Abi smiled. “You’ve already won me over, Asher. You did that before you were king.”

  He kissed her again and she melted into his arms. Her back was healing and had stopped bleeding through her bandages, and the cut on her lip was almost healed. She opened her mouth without wincing and kissed him properly for the first time in a long time.

  “Abi,” he moaned, kissing her harder. He grabbed her hips and drew her in. His forehead rested against hers. “The only time I forget about my role and the worries that come with it is when I’m with you. For a moment, you steal my mind and release it from the prison of my title.”